In the days that followed, Xie Zhaolin moved through the secret realm nonstop.
Wherever she went, life withered. Any lone cultivator she encountered, whether human or demon, was mercilessly struck down and robbed. Before each move, she'd change into Hehuan Sect robes and deliberately circulate their techniques.
Soon, rumors spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Another Junior Brother from Xuanyang Sword Sect got robbed by Hehuan Sect yesterday!"
"That's nothing! Even the demon cultivators weren't spared. An entire demon cultivator squad was wiped out, their deaths too brutal to describe!"
"What the hell are these maniacs from Hehuan Sect trying to do? Do they really want to make enemies of every sect?"
The major sects began hunting down Hehuan Sect disciples with increasing intensity. The real disciples of Hehuan Sect suffered bitterly. They had no choice but to hide like rats, terrified of being mistaken for the insane looter among them.
When Xie Zhaolin heard the news from Liu Feng, she only gave a faint smile.
Liu Feng had shown some brains during the earlier chaos, taking part of the Qingxi Sect disciples far away from the fighting. In the past few days, he'd been secretly gathering information for her, reporting on the movements of the sects.
"Right now, everyone's going crazy searching for Yu Xiaotang," Liu Feng said through their contract, "They're convinced she's behind this mess."
Xie Zhaolin's lips curved with satisfaction. That was exactly what she wanted, to set the so-called righteous sects and the demon clans tearing at each other while she reaped the spoils. One day, as she traveled through a dense forest, she suddenly sensed movement ahead.
A battered cultivator stumbled in her direction, with a pack of pursuers hot on his heels.
She probed with her divine sense. The fleeing man had faint traces of Hehuan Sect's techniques, clearly suppressed on purpose. She wasn't interested in meddling and was about to leave when the man suddenly locked onto her, sprinting straight toward her as if she were his only chance.
Her brows creased. She quickly shifted directions several times to avoid him, but no matter where she went, the man doggedly kept after her. He even endured strikes from his pursuers just to reach her.
A flash of cold light passed through her eyes. She hated nothing more than people who tried to drag her down with them.
Just as she prepared to finish this annoyance—
"Senior Mingyue! Save me!" the man shouted desperately.
Xie Zhaolin froze for a moment. That familiar form of address made her pause, letting the cultivator stumble to her side.
Their pursuers caught up, immediately surrounding them.
Seeing her, the pursuers drew their swords without a word. "They're clearly together! Take them both!"
Her eyes turned icy. She couldn't be bothered to explain. Spiritual power snapped out like a whip around their throats. A few sharp cracks later, they dropped to the ground, dead before they could even scream.
Expressionless, she gathered their storage bags, then turned to the man cowering behind her. "Follow me."
The two of them soon found shelter in a secluded cave.
After setting up a soundproofing barrier, her voice turned cold. "You can speak now."
With trembling hands, the man removed his mask, revealing a pale but familiar face. "Senior Mingyue… it really is you."
She studied him with a hint of surprise. It had been nearly two years since she last parted from Zhou Zhilán. She hadn't expected to meet her here.
Zhou Zhilán gave a faint smile. "That scared me half to death. I thought I was done for this time. But I felt a familiar aura nearby, so I gambled on it… turns out it really was you."
Xie Zhaolin raised her brows, examining her closely.
Two years apart, and the girl had already reached the eighth layer of Qi Refinement. Clearly, she'd worked hard. What surprised her more was that Zhou Zhilán had even managed to enter this secret realm.
The Fusang Secret Realm's quotas were incredibly rare. Even inner sect disciples had to fight tooth and nail for one. Zhou Zhilán must've risen high in Hehuan Sect.
Perhaps sensing her doubts, Zhou Zhilán said softly, "It's all thanks to you, Senior. That Nine Nether Ice Lotus helped me immensely. Because of it, I gained Elder Xu's favor and quite a few benefits."
Xie Zhaolin gave her a long, meaningful look. Even with the Ice Lotus's aid, reaching Qi Refinement eight with five spiritual roots in just two years, and securing a slot in the secret realm…
She decided not to press. After all, saving Zhou Zhilán hadn't been her intention. What intrigued her was something else.
"Back in the Zhou family, with your schemes…" Xie Zhaolin tilted her head slightly, her tone amused. "I don't believe you'd fall into such a state without a plan."
Zhou Zhilán's smile turned bitter. "You don't know, Senior. Ever since the incident with Yu Xiaotang spread, we Hehuan Sect disciples have become everyone's target."
She straightened her tattered robes and continued calmly, "There were five of us. Each had a role. I set traps and arranged escape routes. I even scattered Lost Path Powder along the way, so normally we could retreat even if things went south.
But these last two days…" she sighed, "the major sects intensified the hunt. They even put huge bounties on us. Now, the moment anyone shows the slightest trace of Hehuan Sect's techniques, they're besieged.
Today, we ran into a team from Medicine King Valley. They had some kind of special detection artifact that instantly saw through our disguises. We had no choice but to scatter. I tried hard to suppress my aura, but in battle, it's impossible to hide every trace…"
Xie Zhaolin's lips curved faintly. So, her little acts had worked even better than expected. The sects' crackdown on Hehuan Sect was harsher than she'd imagined.
"And if I hadn't shown up just now, how would you have escaped?"
Zhou Zhilán gave a helpless laugh, pulling out a small jade vial and a talisman. "I had Beast Lure Powder and an Escape Talisman. If I really couldn't run anymore, I'd release the powder to draw monsters, then use the talisman to slip away."
She gave a noncommittal nod.
That was exactly Zhou Zhilán's style, always keeping a way out. But another detail caught her attention. Zhou Zhilán had referred to Yu Xiaotang by name, not as young sect master or Senior Sister.
That subtle change of address… interesting.
Was it that she'd always resented Yu Xiaotang, or was it a deliberate signal, a way of showing herself on the same side as Xie Zhaolin?
Knowing Zhou Zhilán, she never said anything without a purpose. That casual shift in address probably carried deeper meaning.